Blur preventing means for rotary envelope printing mechanism



A. NOVICK 2,589,848 BLUR PREVENTING MEANS FOR ROTARY ENVELOPE PRINTING MECHANISM 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 BY M 2%, Mffl f ATTORNEYS March 18, 1952 Filed Sept. 22, 1948 March 18, 1952 A. NOVICK 2,589,848

BLUR PREVENTING MEANS FOR ROTARY ENVELOPE PRINTING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 22, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 r I z I INVENTOR.

/3 9 Abrqham Nov/ck ATTORNEYS Patented Mar, 18, 1952 BLUE PREVENTING MEANS FOR ROTARY ENVELOPE PRINTING MECHANISM Abraham Novick, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to F. L. Smithe Machine Co. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 22, 1948, Serial No. 50,525

3 Claims. (Cl. 101232) This invention relates to printing mechanism and more particularly to rotary mechanism for printing return addresses or other matter upon envelopes. The primary object of the invention is to prevent premature engagement of the inked type and the envelope as they approach the printing point, so that blurring of the printing will not occur.

The invention is illustratively disclosed herein as embodied in a machine of the kind disclosed and claimed in my pending application, Serial No. 80,842, filed March 11, 1949, which has matured to Patent No. 2,572,509 for Envelope Feeding Mechanism which has been executed of even date herewith. Inthe illustrative machine. envelopes which have been completely manufactured except for printing are supplied from a stack to a pin conveyor. The pins extend toward one another and catch in the corners of the envelopes between the envelope backs and the folded down closure flaps to advance the envelopes past the printing mechanism in definitely timed, spaced, and aligned condition.

As the leading edge of an envelope approaches the printing point its folded down closure flap, which is resilient, engages the impression cylinder and tends to push the body of the envelope away from the impression cylinder and into premature engagement with the inked type on the printing cylinder. Such premature engagement will inevitably result in blurring because the type is travelling in a curved path at exactly the same linear speed that the envelope is travelling in a straight path. From the point of first engagement to the printing point the type will lose ground relative to the envelope and will drag across the face of the envelope, unless provision is made to prevent engagement more than a very slight amount in advance of the intended printing point.

In accordance with a practical and advantageous embodiment of the invention the printing cylinder is equipped in advance of the type with spacing pins which are withdrawn inward to escape engagement with the inking rollers but which are thrust outward as they approach the printing point to hold the leading margin of the envelope toward the impression cylinder and away from the type. It is only the first line of type which requires protection against blurring. Each line of type acts as a spacer to prevent premature engagement of the envelope with the next following line of type.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification Fig. 1 is a view in elevation, partly broken away, of a printing cylinder which is equipped with the novel guard mechanism of the present invention, portions of the mechanism being broken away for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in sectional side elevation showing a printing cylinder, an impression cylinder, and a pair of ink rollers with one guard mechanism projected at the printing point and another retracted in the region of the inking rollers, the section being taken upon the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of two end plates which form parts of the printing cylinder;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view showing details of the construction whereby a spacer bar is spring urged inward;

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing one of the spacer screws or pins;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the envelope supplying and conveying mechanism in conjunction with the printing mechanism; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing an envelope engaged by pins of the pin conveyor.

Reference will first be had to Fig. 6 for a general understanding of the machine layout. Envelope stack I is advanced with the envelopes supported on edge by a slow moving, constant speed con,- veyer which comprises belts 3 each having an end roller l. Each envelope, as it becomes the leading envelope of the stack, is moved forward against a stationary roller 5, and has its closure flap 6 blown away from the envelope body by a blower I.

A pin conveyer 8 comprises a pair of chains or belts 9 which run upon sprockets or rollers ill, I! and I2. The belts 9 are equipped with aligned pair of pins l3 which extend inward toward one another and which are adapted to catch in the corners between an envelope closure flap and the back of the envelope body. The spro ckets l2 are located vertically above the sprockets I i so that the conveyor includes a vertically extending pick-up stretch s for carrying the envelopes vertically away from the stack l as they are picked up one after another by the pin conveyer.

The envelopes are positively advanced in definitely timed, spaced and aligned condition past printing mechanism M. The printing mechanism comprises an impression cylinder 5, a printing cylinder IS, an ink transfer roller-H, and ink applying rollers l8.

The difliculty which the present invention is designed to overcome will be best understood by referring to Fig. 2. Here an envelope [9 is shown arriving at the printing point. The closure flap 6 of the envelope is in engagement with the impression cylinder l5 and is tending to push the envelope away from the impression cylinder and toward the first portion of the inked type on a l printing plate 20. The word type is used broadly herein to refer to any raised printing element whereby ink -is intentionally transferred to the envelope. The guard or spacer mechanism is shown holding the leading margin of the envelope away from the type and toward the impression cylinder. If such guard means were'not provided, the envelope would engage the type substantially with the type in the position illustrated in Fig. 2.

If the angle in advance of the printing point at which the type first engages the envelope be called the angle of anticipation, and the radius upon which the type face travels about the axis of the printing cylinder 56 be unity, then the linear distance through which the type face must travel to reach the printing point is numerically equal to the angle of anticipation measured in radians. During the same interval the point on the envelope first engaged by the type will travel in a straight line through the same distance. Measured in a straight line however, the distance from the point of first engagement to the printing point is not equal to the angle of anticipation but to the sine of the angle of anticipation. It follows that at the instant when the type first reaches the printing point the point of the envelope first engaged by the type will have passed the printing point by an amount equal to the difference between the angle of anticipation and the sine of the angle of anticipation. To the extent that there has been relative movement of the type and the envelope in engagement with one another there will be blurring of the printing. It is a Well known fact of course that as a variable angle approaches zero in value the sine of the angle approaches the angle in value. Reducing the angle of anticipation, therefore, serves to reduce blurring, both because it reduces the duration of travel of the type and the envelope in contact with one another, and because it limits the contact to a period during which the discrepancy of rate of travel of the type and the envelope in the direction of the envelope path is at a minimum.

The construction and mounting of the printing cylinder and of the guard mechanism carried by and associated with the printing cylinder I6 is best shown in Fig. 1. A shaft 2! is revolubly mounted in frame members 22 and 23, and ha pinned upon it a drive gear or sprocket 2 The printing cylinder comprises a sleeve 25 which is secured upon end plates 26 of like construction. Each end plate 26 has a hub portion 27 which is made fast upon the shaft 2l. Each plate 25 is formed with openings 28 through which a bar 29 may be passed. Cover plates 36 are provided and are secured to the plates 26 by means of screws 3!. Each cover plate is formed with two aligned, radial slots 32 in each of which a bar 29 is guided for radial movement. Pins 32a, one at each end of bar 29, engage the inner faces of plates 26 to prevent endwise movement of the bar 29, V V

' Stationary cams 33 having like contours are secured to the frame members 22 and 23 by screws 34. Cam follower rollers 35 are revolubly 4 mounted upon the ends of the bars 29 for meeting with the cams 33. Each roller is retained in place by a washer 35a and a cotter pin 35b. The bars 29 are urged inward toward the shaft 2| by compression coil springs 31. They are limited as to their inward movement by engagement with the inner ends of the slots 32. They are, however, adapted to be thrust outward by the coaction of the followers 35 with the cams 33 as illustrated in the lower portion of Fig. 1.

The bars 29 serve as carriers for guard pins 38. Each guard pin 38 extends radially inward through the circumference of the sleeve 25 and is threaded into the bar. Each pin 38 has a threaded inner end 39 and a polygonal outer portion 56 which projects through the cylinder and may be engaged by a wrench. Each pin is formed with a rounded outer extremity 4! to avoid injury to the envelopes.

It is important that each pin 38 be screwed into the bar 29 to a precisely determined depth so that the outer extremities of the pins will terminate at a common boundary and will act uniformly and in the intended manner upon the envelopes. The depth to which the pins or screws 38 are threaded into the bars 29 is mechanically determined by screwing an abutment screw 42 of predetermined length into each bore of the bar from the inner side thereof. Each screw 42 is threaded into the bar until its further progress is arrested by engagement of its head with the inner face of the bar. The corresponding screw '58 is thereafter threaded into the bar, from the opposite side until its progress is arrested by engagement with the abutmentscrew.

As illustrated, two guard spacers are provided at diametrically opposite positions on the printing cylinder, the pins 38 of each spacer being disposed slightly in advance of an associated printing plate 20. Each spacer comprises a set of pins 33, a set of screws 42, a carrier bar 29, and cam followers 35. The followers 35 of the two spacers, however, cooperate with the same two stationary cams 33, so that each bar 29 will have the same law of operation as it travels about the axis of the shaft 2!. One of the cams 33 is so illustrated in Fig. 2 as to show its contour. It will be readily apparent that the high side of the cam is the lower side where the pins 38 are projected to extend outward substantially as far as the face of the type. Throughout the upper range of movement however, the cam is of reduced radius, so that the pins 38 travel past the ink applying rollers l8, l8 withdrawn inward toward the axis of the shaftZl far enough to escape engagement with the rollers. v I

With the mechanism described the type does not engage the envelope until it has arrived substantially at the printing point. The mecha-- nism so constructed and arranged has been found to act uniformly and dependably to prevent any perceptible blurring of the printing.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiment of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiment shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a continuous rotary printing mechanism, in combination, a type carrying printing cylinder, an impression cylinder opposed thereto, type inking means disposedtangent to the-cylindrical type face path, a work conveyor for carrying the work between and tangent to said cylinders at the circumferential speed .of the cylinders, the printing cylinder having a plurality of successive printing areas, guard spacers carried within the printing cylinder, each just in advance of one of the printing areas, and each comprising work engaging fingers that extend through the periphery of the cylinder, means guiding each guard spacer for radial movement, and a single stationary eccentric cam cooperative with each guard to cause the fingers of the guard to be moved outward as far as the type face path substantially before the travel of the guard past the printing point, and to cause the fingers of the guard to be retracted within the type face path after the printing point has been passed and before the type inking means has been reached.

2. A continuous rotary printing machine for printing upon folded envelopes comprising, in combination, a printing cylinder, an impression cylinder, inking mechanism adapted to engage type carried by the printing cylinder, an envelope conveyor for feeding folded envelopes between and tangent to the printing and impression cylinders, at a speed equal to the peripheral speeds of said cylinders, of a guard spacer carried by the printing cylinder just in advance of the printing area of the cylinder and guided for radial reciprocation relative thereto, and oscillating mechanism for the spacer responsive to operation of the printing cylinder to project the spacer into engagement with an envelope as the spacer approaches the printing point and to withdraw the spacer and hold it withdrawn so as to escape engagement with the inking mechanism as it approaches and travels past the inking mechanism, said spacer comprising a bar and a series of pins fixed therein and projecting radially through the periphery of the printing cylinder, and said oscillating means comprising stationary cam mechanism, follower means carried by the bar, and spring means acting on the bar to urge the follower means toward the cam mechanism.

3. A continuous rotary printing machine for printing upon folded envelopes comprising, in combination, a printing cylinder, an impression cylinder, inking mechanism adapted to engage type carried by the printing cylinder, an envelope conveyor for feeding folded envelopes between and tangent to the printing and impression cylinders, at a speed equal to the peripheral speeds of said cylinders, of a guard spacer carried by the printing cylinder just in advance of the printing area of the cylinder and guided for radial reciprocation relative thereto, and oscillating mechanism for the spacer responsive to operation of the printing cylinder to project the spacer into engagement with an envelope as the spacer approaches the printing point and to withdraw the spacer and hold it withdrawn so as to escape engagement with the inking mechanism as it approaches and travels past the inking mechanism, said spacer comprising a bar carried by the printing cylinder, a series of abutment screws threaded outward into the bar, and a series of guard screws extending through the cylinder surface and threaded inward into the bar in engagement with the respective abutment screws.

ABRAHAM NOVICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,995,426 Honigmann Mar. 26, 1935 2,012,105 Marchev Aug. 20, 1935 2,114,374 Ervin Apr. 19, 1938 2,172,113 Storck et a1. Sept. 5, 1939 2,208,044 Ormond et al. July 16, 1940 2,208,048 Durup July 16, 1940 2,367,290 Krouse Jan. 16, 1945 2,468,254 Deloye Apr. 26, 1949 

